Pro Bono Requirement

So, unlike many students, I actually completed my pro bono requirement the summer after my first year of law school. Evening students don’t typically work in the legal field during their first law school summer, but I had a flexible schedule and wanted to. I spent that summer working at Neighborhood Legal Services in their Clean Slate Initiatives. In essence, I spent most of my time interviewing clients, writing declarations, and preparing expungement petitions.

Although I worked well over forty hours, I chose to volunteer my time and also get my pro bono hours out of the way instead of getting paid for that summer. Instead, I maintained my job as a tutor and also took Constitutional Law over the summer, which gave me access to student loans to supplement my living expenses if necessary.

This was really my first experience in law school where I had the opportunity to interact with clients and learn more about the criminal justice system. Although I enjoyed it and learned a lot in the process, it also taught me that I didn’t want to work in that area for my career. However, I would not trade my experience for anything.